As many as 93 per cent of the recipients of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine at Dhaka Medical College have been found carrying antibodies against the coronavirus, the college says.
The results were found among teachers, students and staff of the college who received two shots of the vaccine, Dhaka Medical College Hospital said at an event on Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.
The Microbiology Department of Dhaka Medical College conducted a study on 308 people who received the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. Led by Prof SM Shamsuzzaman, the study was conducted over five months.
Samples were collected four weeks after the recipients took the first dose, when 41 per cent of them were found carrying the antibodies, said Prof Shamsuzzaman.
“Four weeks after the second dose was administered, we took another sample and tested it. This time 93 per cent of the recipients had the antibodies.”
All study participants were aged over 30 years and 80 per cent of them were over 50 years of age.
The study aimed to discover if the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine produces antibodies and, if it does, what amount it produced after the second shot, said Prof Shamsuzzaman.
Once produced, antibodies may remain in the human body for six months, although the researchers did not have the complete information on the matter, he said.
We need further research on the issue.”
DMCH Director Brig Gen Nazmul Haque, college Principal Prof Md Titu Miah and Vice-Principal Md Shafiqul Alam Chowdhury were present at the event.
Experts say people can still contract the coronavirus infection despite getting vaccinated, but the effects will be less severe.
When asked if the study reflected the situation across Bangladesh, Prof Titu Miah said it does not, as the study was done on a specific group of people.
“But at the same time, a sample size of 308 people is not a small one. We can get a general idea from it. To know the precise details, we need a more extensive study.”